The present invention relates to spiking tools for spiking underground power lines to determine if the power lines are hot and, in particular, to a spiking tool and method of spiking a power line which shields the spiking tool operator from the flame and heat emitted when a hot power line is spiked.
During the construction of shopping malls, industrial complexes, commercial buildings, and similar relatively large building projects, new or existing, buried or underground high voltage power lines have to be tapped into or spliced to provide electrical services to the project. Typically, there will be several different tubular conduits closely grouped together within the trench that each contain a different high voltage power line or cable. Once a length of one of the power lines to be tapped for the project has been exposed, by removing a section of one of the tubular conduits from about the power line, the power line must be checked to determine if the electrical power to the power line has actually been turned off prior to working with the power line to make the tap. Otherwise, if the electrical power to the power line has not been turned off, anyone working with the power line to make a tap would most likely be seriously injured if not killed.
Typically, the power line is tested to determine if the electrical power to the power line has been turned off by spiking the power line with a spiking clamp (such as, a spiking clamp made by Hastings of Hastings, Mich.). The spiking clamp has a threaded spike with a pointed end that is used to penetrate the insulating casing of the power line and make contact with the wiring within insulating casing of the power line. The threaded spike is grounded and an eye on the second end of the threaded spike is turned with a shotgun stick (such as, a shotgun stick sold by Hastings of Hastings, Mich.) to cause the spike to penetrate the insulating casing and make contact with the wiring within the insulating casing. If the power line is hot (the electrical power to the power line has not been turned off) the contact of the spike of the spiking clamp with the wiring of the power line normally causes an eruption of hot flame from the power line at the location of the spike. Although the use of a shotgun stick is intended to protect the workers when the spike makes contact with a hot line, the workers are not shielded by the spiking clamp or shotgun stick and the operator of the shotgun stick or other workers close by can be injured by the flame and heat caused by spiking the power line. Thus, although spiking clamps and shotgun sticks have been in use for many years, there has remained a need to protect the shotgun operator and other workers from the flame and heat of a spiking operation when the power line is hot.